1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the game board art and more specifically to a new utilitarian design for the playing areas of three level game boards and for three level game boards; and to a new way to construct three level game boards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Three level game boards have been known for many years. Many of the known three level game boards, however, that have large numbers of playing positions on each of their levels, have been designed for use with playing pieces that have a small height dimension (e.g. for use with checker sized playing pieces, little balls, or other similar minimal height type playing pieces). See for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,895, issued to Alice L. Beach, or U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,685, issued to David A. D. J. Wilson.
However, when designing a three level game board for use with playing pieces that have a relatively large height dimension, there are problems that must be overcome, these problems often arise because there is a limit to the total height that a game board can be built if it is to be placed on a table, and people are to play the game from seated positions around the table.
Many of the prior art game boards involved vertically aligning and vertically spacing each of the levels of the game board. However, vertically aligned and vertically spaced game boards, often must have their levels spaced far enough from each other to allow a player to observe all of the lower levels, and to be able to maneuver the playing pieces on the lower levels with his hands. Additionally, however, such game boards often must not have their levels spaced vertically so far apart that the top level is above the field of vision of the players positioned to play the game. The two aforesaid requirements present a problem when the playing pieces that are to be used with the game board have a relatively large height dimension (i.e. the higher the playing pieces the farther apart the levels must be spaced, however, as the levels are spaced farther apart the top level becomes increasingly higher above the surface on which the game board is placed). For example, if a person is seated at a table to play the game, and that person's seated eye level is twenty inches above the surface of the table, then if the height of the playing surface of the top level of the game board is greater than twenty inches, that person will not be able to easily see the playing surface of the top level of the game board from his seated position. One of the methods that the prior art has used to overcome the above stated problem, is to construct the game board's upper levels out of a transparent material. However, requiring the material to be transparent limits the types of material that can be used, which is a problem for people who want to use the many non-transparent materials available; additionally, many transparent materials have inherent problems, glass for example is usually easily breakable, and plastic for example is usually easily scratched.
Some prior art game boards were constructed such that the vertically spaced levels were horizontally staggered. A horizontal staggering of the vertically spaced levels can result in a reduction in the number of people that can be placed around the game board such that each person has equal access to each level of the game board.
Some prior art game boards have been constructed with one or more of the levels moveable out of vertical alignment with the other levels. An inherent problem with this type of construction is that the game playing pieces which are on the level that is being moved are liable to be knocked over by the movement, unless they are attached to that level. However, if the playing pieces are to be attachable to the moveable level a more complicated construction is involved then if they can be allowed to freely rest on that level. Secondly, if it is not a requirement or advantage of the game that only a portion of the game board is visible at any one time, then two other problems are caused by a moveable level. Firstly, the game is interrupted by the movement of the level, and secondly, the players can only observe a portion of the game at any one time, as the moveable level must be moved to allow the other levels to be clearly seen.
Other prior art game boards have consisted of a number of levels each of which has only a small number of playing positions on it, which is a problem for persons creating games that require levels with a large number of playing positions on them.